


Peace, My Sweet Treasure

by TerraCody



Series: The Night Before the Decisive Battle [9]
Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Angst, F/M, Fire Emblem: Three Houses Black Eagles Route Spoilers, Fire Emblem: Three Houses Blue Lions/Golden Deer Joint Route, Headcanon, Kissing, Love Confessions, Marriage Proposal, Post-Timeskip | War Phase (Fire Emblem: Three Houses)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-27
Updated: 2020-08-27
Packaged: 2021-03-06 18:54:42
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,938
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26053792
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TerraCody/pseuds/TerraCody
Summary: Sylvain POV. Sequel to Behold My Misery. He may not have much control of his fate, but he knew what he wanted deep in his heart. And no one was going to deny him.
Relationships: Felix Hugo Fraldarius/Ingrid Brandl Galatea, Sylvain Jose Gautier/Mercedes von Martritz
Series: The Night Before the Decisive Battle [9]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1841431
Comments: 4
Kudos: 7





	Peace, My Sweet Treasure

**Author's Note:**

> Fire Emblem: Three Houses and its characters are the property of Intelligent Systems, Koei Tecmo, and Nintendo. Here’s my second fanfic devoted to the Sylvain/Mercedes pairing. I explained enough in Behold My Misery of how much I love this pairing, and you can probably see by the word count that I love writing about them. I may even write a third story for them. Before I get ahead of myself though, I hope you enjoy this story.

_31st of the Blue Sea Moon, Imperial Year 1186_

I didn’t know if Professor Byleth and Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd had expected to face off against three Giant Demonic Beasts at Fort Merceus. _I_ certainly hadn’t.

I was glad though that they had mutually agreed to bring _everyone_ (all former Blue Lions, Black Eagles, Golden Deer, and even the Ashen Wolves) for this campaign because the impregnable fortress had proven to be quite difficult to take due to the Beasts. And the numerous Imperial Soldiers armed and ready to fight us.

And of course the Death Knight, who was holding position north of us.

I focused on taking out the Imperial soldier manning the Fire Orb east of our initial position (I saw Ingrid fly to take out the Fire Orb user to the west), though it was extremely difficult to dodge the attacks from my horse. But Pan was a well-trained steed for high stress situations did not panic. I made sure to slay the soldier quickly the moment I was upon him, and I looked over my shoulder at my battalion of Gautier Knights. I still saw everyone with me and I nodded with relief as I waved my Silver Lance over my head. “This Orb is ours!” I shouted to my comrades. “Who wants it?!”

”Leave it to me, Sylvain!” I heard Lysithea von Ordelia shout in my direction from the south. “Stop wasting time and keep advancing!”

”I can’t refuse the request of a lady,” I drawled, earning laughter from my soldiers. The laughter quickly died though when heard the loud roar of the Giant Demonic Beast in the center of Fort Merceus. I felt a sting of dread but I kept an outward expression of calm at seeing the Beast power up for an attack. I steered Pan down the stairs as I tried to get a look at my allies closest to the Beast. _Okay, that’s Caspar and Raphael with their battalions. I’m not surprised that both of them rushed the Beast. And—Felix?! Damn it Felix, since when do you act so reckless during a battle?! Well, at least you have the Sword of Moralta with you! That’ll work better against a Demonic Beast than a regular sword!_

Felix Hugo Fraldarius of course didn’t hear my thoughts and he faced off against the Beast while holding the titular sword, discreetly signaling his battalion of Fraldarius Soldiers to move backwards away from the Beast. I scoffed and started to turn Pan towards the Beast, when there was a sudden burst of light directly in front of the Beast and Professor Byleth was suddenly there. Without hesitation she unsheathed her Sublime Creator Sword and began single-handedly engaging the Beast. And completely _dominating_ it.

”Hey, that’s not fair!” Caspar von Bergliez shouted indignantly.

I laughed again, but readied myself as I saw a group of Imperial soldiers advancing on me. “Get ready!” I shouted, hoisting up my lance. My battalion and I made quick work of the soldiers and I looked towards the Beast again. Dimitri had joined the Professor in her fight with the Beast, and both were taking turns striking the Beast with their Heroes Relics as it collapsed. I arched a brow as I saw groups of soldiers just standing around watching their two leaders pummel a Demonic Beast into the ground even after it went still. 

_...Geez. His Highness and the Professor could’ve just done this campaign by themselves!_

I continued to advance north towards the Death Knight’s position. At one point Ferdinand von Aegir rode past me with his Aegir Astral Knights battalion and engage a group of spell-casters, and I followed to offer assistance. Once we took care of the group though, I noticed movement out of the corner of my eye. I looked to my left and saw a group of people quickly descending the stairs from the area where Dimitri and the Professor had slain the Beast. I felt slightly alarmed when I realized that it was a battalion of Kingdom Priests who was advancing, and they were entering an area thick with fighting. I waved to my soldiers and we rode closer, trying to spot the group of Priests heading north. They had descended the stairs towards the position of the archer manning the ballista, and the leader in front fired a Thunder spell at the archer. I saw the Gremory dress, and the short fair hair, and my heart lurched in my chest.

Mercedes von Martritz was the one racing north— _towards the Death Knight_ —closely followed by her battalion of Priests.

“ _Mercedes_!” I yelled, though my shout was undoubtedly drowned out by the chaos around me. “Mer— _damn it_!” another Imperial soldier charged me. I engaged the solider for a few minutes before slaying him and quickly looked in the direction Mercedes had raced off to. She was no longer in sight.

_What is she doing?! I know she wants to save her brother, but this is very dangerous!_

_”If I’m to lose my life in battle, it will be because I lost a fight.”_

Her words echoed in my mind, and though I believed her when she promised not to let the Death Knight kill her I was still frightened. Mainly because even if she didn’t let her brother kill her, he still might kill her anyways!

I looked over my shoulder again and said my battalion was still together. I raised my lance. “Follow me!”

We raced up the stairs to follow Mercedes, cutting through the fighting with great difficulty, and I saw Ignatz Victor take position at the ballista. I nodded to him as we raced past him. Beyond the ballista was a even bigger wall of battle in the courtyard in front of the Death Knight’s holding position. I craned my neck around, trying to spot Mercedes, but I couldn’t see her. I saw another Giant Demonic Beast advancing from the northwest and felt another sting of dread. Thankfully I did not see Mercedes anywhere near the Beast, but the fact that I could not see her _at all_ frightened me deeply.

 _Please. Please, my love, please don’t do anything reckless!_ I frowned deeply at the thought though. _...Can I really call Mercedes “my love” when I haven’t even told her my feelings?_

”AAAH!”

There was shouting around me, but a woman’s piercing shriek quickly got my attention. I twisted my head to my left and I huffed in alarm. Several meters away, not far from the Demonic Beast, I saw Leonie Pinelli get violently thrown from her horse. She landed on the cobblestones on her back, but I saw her almost immediately sit up in a partial daze. She patted herself down absently and her knees bent slightly, and I breathed a sigh in relief that she wasn’t seriously injured.

The Demonic Beast did not seem interested in her, and I saw Linhardt von Hevring, Ashe Ubert, and Hapi engaging with the Beast. However, an Imperial soldier wearing heavy armor quickly took advantage of Leonie’s vulnerable position and swung his axe down upon her!

Leonie had a split second to react, and she swung the Inexhaustible bow across her body. The axe connected with the bow with a loud ‘CLANG’ and the bow held the axe back but barely. The fact that her bow was a Sacred Weapon was probably the only reason she wasn’t dead; any other bow would’ve been snapped in half by the axe like a twig.

Our Army and the Imperial Army were still clashing around us, creating a wall that I couldn’t penetrate. Everyone else was distracted by the close Beast, including Leonie’s own battalion. No one around her could help her. Leonie was still on her back on the ground, struggling with all her might to keep the Imperial knight and the axe at bay, but the knight was physically stronger than her and was in a better position standing over her. It would not be long before the axe fully descended and cut through her. 

”Damn it!” I shouted again. Time was moving quickly but it felt like an eternity. I looked towards the direction I thought Mercedes had run and looked back towards Leonie. Both women were in danger and needed help, but Leonie was closest to me. I fumbled with my saddle bags and quickly readied an Iron Bow. It was a simple weapon, and even as a Bow Knight I was only mildly proficient with a bow. But it didn’t stop me from aiming. _This won’t take down the knight, but maybe it’ll distract—_

Before I could fire an arrow, five blue-white fire orbs slammed into the Imperial knight, knocking him off his feet and off Leonie. My jaw dropped as I saw Lorenz Hellman Gloucester ride up from the south, wearing the black armor fitting a Dark Knight. I couldn’t see his face but he flew off his horse and pulled Leonie to her feet with one arm before advancing on the knight, who was feebly struggling to his feet. Lorenz swung his Axe of Ukonvasara up high and brought it down upon the soldier’s left shoulder. To the best of my knowledge Lorenz was not proficient with axes, but the Sacred Weapon sliced straight through the soldier’s armor and damn near cleaved him in half!

I whistled in shock as I lowered my bow. _Whoa. He’s almost as scary as Hilda and Dedue are with an axe! I hope he remembers that **I** was the one who found that axe for him..._

Even Leonie appeared stunned by Lorenz’s attack, but I turned my attention back to my battalion as I was assured she was out of danger. “As I was saying, follow me!” 

My battalion and I cut through the ongoing battle, engaging the enemy forces and helping our allies, and I saw Dimitri and Professor racing towards the Beast— _Good, they can kill that thing by themselves too!—_ and I looked north towards where the Death Knight’s position was. I gasped in horror.

Mercedes had made it to her brother! Her battalion of Priests were standing away from her at the ready. I saw by the way she was gesturing that she was talking to the Death Knight, trying to reason with him, but he remained unmoving on his horse. I bristled when I saw the axe warrior standing to the Death Knight’s left start to charge towards Mercedes, but the Death Knight hoisted up his lance and launched it at the warrior, stabbing him from behind. His corpse skidded across the cobblestones less than a meter from Mercedes. The two other Imperial soldiers standing beside the Death Knight looked at his corpse for a long moment, and they each made the decision to flee, leaving the Death Knight alone.

 _He’s unarmed!_ I frantically waved to my battalion and we steered our horses towards Mercedes’s direction. _Now’s our chance! We—_

The Death Knight produced a new lance, seemingly from thin air. It took me off-guard, and I was almost blindsided by an attack to my right. _Damn it, I need to get to her! Please don’t die, don’t you DARE die Mercedes!_

I slayed the enemy soldier and I looked back towards Mercedes and her brother. The Death Knight had his hand raised, and I saw the energy crackling from his fist. _Oh Goddess NO!_ I spun Pan around and rode towards them, but I knew that I would be too late. “ _Mercedes_!” I shrieked.

I saw Mercedes flinch ahead of me, and she leapt backwards. The Death Knight’s spell missed her, and she countered with the Nosferatu attack. _This_ attack landed, and I heard Mercedes scream in horror at having attacked her brother, and she slapped her hands over her mouth. 

I made it to Mercedes’s side but her Priest battalion surrounded her. Before I could say anything the area filled with people, boxing the Death Knight in. The fighting behind us was dissipating and we were clearly the victors. 

“So it is you, Death Knight!” Flayn shrieked with uncharacteristic rage as she rode up on her horse. “Remember me?!”

The Death Knight was nursing his side as he climbed off his horse. He slapped his hand on his horse’s backside, and after a moment’s hesitation the animal ran off. “...You again. Here to lose more blood?”

“Never! You will not lay a hand on me ever again!” Flayn raised her hand to ready a spell, but a new voice cut her off. “Stand down, Flayn!”

Professor Byleth pushed her way to the front of the group and raced towards the Death Knight. I looked towards Mercedes again, and I saw her break free and also race towards her brother. “Please, _enough_!” She pleaded with him. “Please come home with me, Emile! Our mother—she wants to see you!”

The Death Knight shook his head, but his attention was on the Professor as he raised his lance. “You're stronger now. Whether I kill you or you kill me, I'm looking forward to this!”

Professor Byleth already had her sword out but was holding herself steady. The Death Knight also stood his ground but on guard. Neither of them was making a move to attack.

Then the Death Knight raised his hand, and it crackled with magic once more. However, instead of turning his hand towards Byleth he directed it back at Mercedes!

Screams filled the area, but the Professor was faster. The Sublime Creator Sword glowed and she threw herself between the Death Knight and Mercedes. “ _Here is something to believe in_!” She shrieked, and brought the sword’s full power straight down in a single strike upon the Death Knight.

Mercedes screamed again as the power of the sword sliced the black armor straight off the Death Knight’s torso. It crumbled off his body, revealing his Academy uniform underneath that rapidly soaked with blood. His dark helmet flew off, revealing Jeritza’s pained face. He swayed on his feet, his complexion white and translucent. His lance slipped from his hand and clattered to the ground. His lips were white as well and parted slightly as he spoke. “To kill, to die...To know one without the other would be maddening...” He went still for a moment, and then a geyser of blood erupted from his mouth with a bone-chilling “ _Huuuuack_!” sound. 

“ _Brother_!” Mercedes rushed forward and grabbed Jeritza as he pitched forward. His superior weight overwhelmed her though and she quickly collapsed to her knees, Jeritza sprawled across her lap. “Emile, please hold on! Your sister is here, I’ll save you!” She raised her hand high, and it started to glow. “For—”

“ _No_!” Jeritza reached up and grabbed her by her sleeve. “Don—Do not heal m-me. I...do not want to be healed.”

”Emile, if I don’t heal you then you’ll—”

”I k..know.” Jeritza coughed hard, and even with Mercedes’s back shielding his face I saw blood the spew from his mouth into the air. “I...deserve it.”

Byleth slowly sheathed the Sublime Creator Sword. “...I’m sorry, Mercedes,” she said quietly. I absently heard the rest of our allies race towards us as the fighting behind us finishing. Everyone fell into dead silence at the scene before us. Dimitri ran up to stand beside the Professor.

Mercedes shook her head, though her body was shaking violently. “Don’t apologize Professor. This isn’t your fault. I...” she was unable to hold back her tears any longer. “I’m so sorry...” Mercedes was sobbing so hard that her words were slurring. “This is all my fault for leaving you behind when I left House Bartels!”

“Argh...” Jeritza really was dying. I could tell by his abnormally labored breathing. His body was losing the strength to puff breath out.

“I’m sorry for not being a better sister to you!” Mercedes bent over him, her body shaking with sobs as she stroked his face comfortingly. I swallowed hard and tears stung my eyes as I watched her in raw agony. Bile rose in my throat at seeing her anguish, and it pulsated through my body like a heartbeat. The last time I felt this helpless was when I woke up at the bottom of that damn well.

The woman I loved’s life was falling apart right before my eyes. Her desperate hopes to save her brother had completely diminished in seconds—and I didn’t know what to do.

“Mer...cedes...” I had steered Pan to move closer, and I saw Jeritza’s body twitching in her arms. “I...” he coughed weakly. “I...killed my father.”

”I know,” Mercedes told him in a gentle tone. “I know that, Emile. I forgive you and don’t hate you for it. You can rest easy.”

”N...” he was struggling with all his might to force the words. “You don’t...understand. Father—he wanted...he wanted to marry you!”

Mercedes flinched, and murmurs of shock and disgust swept over the crowd. I looked towards the Professor and saw horror in her expression. I was also immensely disgusted as I looked back at the siblings. “ _Father_ ,” Jeritza rasped, saying the word like it was a curse. “H—He found out...where Mother and you w-were. He d—didn’t want Moth...but he wanted _you_. He s-said that Mother...couldn’t give him children...with Crests anymore—but that _you_ were old enough to.” He made an inhuman, gurgling sound and gripped her sleeve as tight as he could. “Our father—wanted to marry you! M-Marry the g...girl he raised as his daughter! H-He was...going to force y-you to have his Crest children!”

I threw up in my mouth and slapped a hand over my mouth to hold it in. Hatred filled my body and I briefly saw red. I had never heard anything so— _vile_ in my whole life. _So. That bastard threw Mercedes and her mother away, and he only wanted her back when he thought he had a use for her. **Only** Mercedes! He wanted to copulate with the daughter of his ex-wife, with whom he already created a child with! _I lurched again, and it took every ounce of willpower to not vomit right then and there. 

“...You did it for me,” Mercedes whimpered. “You were looking out for me, Emile. I...thank you for protecting me!”

“I...am a demon. I-It doesn’t matter my re...“ Jeritza let out a horrible wheezing noise. He was losing his battle to stay alive. “It’s—the Crests. All because of... _damn Crests_! Crests ruin ev...! Crests...” hearing him struggle to breathe sent chills down my spine. “Mer...cedes...I...” His hand fell away from her sleeve and his body sagged in her arms as he exhaled his last breath. 

A cold, chilly silence swept over Fort Merceus that was only occupied with Mercedes’s loud wailing. There was not a single solider who celebrated the death of the Death Knight. “Please forgive me, Emile...” her voice ripped apart my insides. It was a tone I had never heard her use before; a tone I _never_ wanted to hear from her.

_What are you doing?! The woman you love is in anguish, GO TO HER!_

I dismounted Pan, but as I grabbed his bridle to help him stand his ground Annette Fantine Dominic broke the line and raced over to Mercedes. I saw that she was also crying and deeply in emotional pain. She gently put an arm around Mercedes’s shoulders as she knelt beside her. “Mercie,” she said in an unsteady voice. “We need to go. Now.”

I felt anger at myself that it took me too long to respond to her. But I didn’t pause in my strides and even raced over to them as Annette helped Mercedes to her feet. “Let me,” I said, keeping my tone gentle.

Annette looked up, and I saw shock and anger in her eyes. It took my off-guard, but I quickly realized that she probably thought that I was trying to take advantage of Mercedes’s emotional vulnerability. I looked to Mercedes, her head was bent forward. “Please come with me,” I said to her. I tried to keep my tone steady but it was physically painful to see her in so much pain. “Let me take you away from here, Mercedes.”

”Sylvain, this is an inappropriate time to be doing this!” Annette hissed angrily at me. I shot a look at her and she started slightly. I knew I had to have been glaring at her, which was uncharacteristic of me to do so. But I couldn’t help but feel offended that Annette thought I was taking advantage of Mercedes at this horrible moment. Even if I saw some justification in her feelings.

”Annie.”

Both Annette and I quickly looked at Mercedes, but she still wasn’t looking at either of us. “I will be all right. I...” she shuddered violently. “I just don’t want to be here anymore...”

I felt horrible at the relief and joy I felt that she chose to go with me instead of Annette. I relaxed my expression as I looked back at Annette. “I’ll take care of her,” I reassured her. “I swear on my life.”

Annette still looked shocked and very reluctant. But she slowly withdrew her hands from Mercedes’s shoulders and stepped back. “You had better,” she said, her tone quiet and sharp.

I took the opportunity to carefully place an arm around her shoulders and drew her in to me carefully to shield her from the crowd. I looked towards Professor Byleth and Dimitri. “I’ll be back for the debriefing later. I promise.” Dimitri nodded his understanding.

I steered Mercedes towards Pan and waved my battalion off as I helped her mount my horse to sit side-saddle. I climbed into the saddle behind her, and I quickly steered Pan away from Jeritza’s body. As we turned, I saw Gilbert Pronislav approach Annette and tentatively put an arm around his daughter’s shoulders. Tears were streaming down her cheeks.

I couldn’t see Mercedes’s face, but she looked at Jeritza’s body laying prone on the ground as we turned around. “Goodbye...”

The Kingdom Army was respectful of Mercedes’s grief. This was a monumental victory for us, and taking Fort Merceus all but assured a speedy end to this horrible war. But no one cheered as we rode through the Fortress to get back to camp. 

But we did not get far. I saw the gate of Fort Merceus ahead, but Mercedes had begun to cry again and was sobbing so hard that she was swaying in the saddle. I coaxed Pan to come to a stop, and steered us to go behind a pillar. Once Pan had fully come to a stop I quickly wrapped my arms around her. “I’m here.”

She turned to me and wrapped her arms around my waist as she wailed against my chest plate. I pressed my face into her scalp and stroked her hair, using my armored arms to close around her protectively. Her anguish was bleeding into me and it brought tears to my eyes, but I absorbed her pain and gently rocked her in my arms. 

_This is what it means to love someone, I suppose. You shoulder the good and the bad with them. You help them when they are at their lowest. She helped me at my lowest...and now I will help her. Please, let it all out Mercedes. I’ll drink the poison with you, and then we can find the antidote. I love you so much. You deserve better than this..._

As her cries subsided, her body went slack in my arms. I carefully turned her face towards me and saw that it was puffy red and streaked with tears. Her eyes were closed and she was otherwise unresponsive. She had cried so hard that she fainted.

I wasted no time getting her back to camp and immediately took her to the healer’s tent. Other injured soldiers were already there and though I knew our side had suffered fatalities the injured in the tent looked to be okay. The Bishop there reassured me that she had only fainted and needed the rest. I carefully took off her Gremory’s cloak while the Bishop removed her shoes. The Bishop tucked her into a cot and left us alone to tend to other patients.

As a Lord I knew I had to report back for the debriefing with Dimitri and the Professor, but I desperately wanted to stay by Mercedes’s side. After considering it I took a seat beside her.

_Just for a little while until she wakes up._

I stared down at Mercedes, watching with relief as her features relaxed as she slept deeply. My eyes fell to her mouth and I quickly looked away, disgusted and ashamed of myself once more. I wiped at my mouth absently but reached out and laid my hand over hers. I looked around to make sure no one was paying attention to us before I looked back at her. I carefully picked up her hand in both of mine and removed her red glove. Her fingers were so elegant and perfect, as they always were. After a moment I pressed her hand to my cheek. “I love you,” I mumbled against her hand. She had no response for me, because she obviously had not heard my love confession.

I thought that I didn’t understand love. I used to throw around the words “I love you” because women responded positively to it. When I took a woman to bed with me, perhaps I loved them in the throes of sex. But the feeling had never lasted because those women didn’t love me. Most of them didn’t even want to marry me, they just wanted to make a Crest-baby with me. I was always a means to an end for them...so they were always a means to an end for me.

Mercedes, though...was quite possibly the most wonderful woman I’d ever met. The most wonderful _person_ I’d ever met. From the moment I met her all the way back when we were students, I was of course mesmerized by her beauty, but more than that I was enraptured by her purity and sincerity. And she was always so positive, and her positivity was infectious to the people around her. I flirted with her of course, like I always flirted with women, but I had always been careful in how I treated her. I didn’t flirt with her because I wanted to bed her, nor did I flirt with her to tease her. When I spoke to her, I felt inspired to be nothing but honest with her.

_”I'm glad we were able to talk. I feel like I'm finally seeing the real you.”_

She saw me as a friend and never acted judgmental towards me. The feelings Mercedes inspired in me just by smiling at me had felt unreal. I had always seen love in terms of physical need, but I _craved_ her presence. Her voice, her smile, the warmth of her beautiful heart. With just a few understanding words she had wrenched the ugliest of emotions from me—and in doing so she _soothed_ these ugly emotions with her compassion. I cried for the first time since I could remember in her presence, and she didn’t panic or ridicule me. She comforted me, encouraged me to cry, and promised to protect me while I sobbed.

I loved her. Maybe I really didn’t understand love, but I knew that I was in love with Mercedes. I felt warmth in my chest when I thought of her, excitement whenever I saw her, and anxiety if she was away. How could I feel anything _less_ than love for her? This sweet, wonderful woman who has suffered so _much_ , but still took the time to be there for other people when they needed help? I almost couldn’t believe someone like this existed, but yet here she was.

_I love you, Mercedes. I don’t know what you feel for me, because you have shown your compassion to other people as you have shown me. But I love and need you so much. I do not know if I can ease your pain the way that you eased mine, but I will do anything I can to help you._

”Sylvain?”

I was startled slightly and I looked up. Annette was standing at the foot of the cot. She was frowning deeply. “Sylvain, what happened to Mercie?”

“She fainted,” I reassured her. “The Bishop said she just needs to rest.”

Annette sighed with relief but didn’t fully relax. “His Highness and the Professor need you, Sylvain.”

”Ah,” I said reluctantly. “The debriefing.” I looked towards Mercedes, but Annette stepped closer. “I’ll sit with Mercie for when she wakes up. You need to hurry.”

”Aren’t you attending the debriefing Annette?”

Annette shook her head. “Father excused me so that I could be with Mercie.”

”That makes sense.” I lowered Mercedes’s hand onto the bed and after a moment I let it go. I stood up and offered the chair to Annette. “Thank you for staying with her, Annette.”

”She’s my best friend. Of course I’ll stay with her.”

I wanted to linger longer but I knew Annette didn’t want me there. I swallowed hard and spared another glance at Mercedes before turning to leave.

”Sylvain?”

Annette’s unsteady voice stopped me and I turned around. She was looking at me again, and I saw that her blue eyes were red from unshed tears. “...Please don’t hurt her.”

I stared at her for a long moment of silence. I looked towards Mercedes again before looking back at her. “...I’d rather die than hurt her,” I said quietly.

I don’t know what expression I was showing her, but she nodded stiffly and sniffled. “Thank you.”

I didn’t waste another moment and took my leave. As I looked for Pan, I sent a silent prayer to the Goddess. _Sothis, I pray that Jer—Emile, rests in peace. He didn’t have a good life and it wasn’t his fault that he became a monster. And I pray that Mercedes find peace too. With me._

I hated myself for adding that last line to my prayer, but I shook it off as I mounted my horse and rode back towards Fort Merceus.

* * *

_29th of the Verdant Rain Moon_

I leaned against the rail so that I could see. I laughed as I saw the numerous people racing across the bridge towards the Cathedral. “Oh, I hope you know what you’ve gotten yourself into Your Highness...”

Everyone was talking about Dimitri’s open call for knighthood, and since tomorrow was the day we began our siege on Enbarr there were certainly plenty of people who wanted to march into battle with a fancy new knight’s title.

_My battalion is exclusively full of knight, but—hey, aren’t those uniforms of House Fraldarius?_

”Sylvain Gautier?”

I straightened as I saw a page approach me. I saw the letter in his hand, but when I saw the color of the seal I immediately snapped to attention. “I’m here,” I said seriously. “How can I help you?”

The page bowed briefly before handing me the letter. “A messenger from House Gautier arrived just now and said this had to be delivered to you with the utmost urgency. They emphasized that this is a letter addressed from Margrave Gautier himself.”

”Ah. My Father.” I reached into my pocket and handed the page a money pouch. “1,000 gold, for your troubles.”

”Milord, I cannot accept—”

”I was saving that in the event I needed I repair my Lance of Ruin. I do not, so you keep the money.”

The man ran off in much higher spirits while I stared down at the letter. A cold feeling of dread settled over me as I stared down at my family seal. _So...my father rushed this letter to me the day before we march on Enbarr. This is undoubtedly very important—and I have a feeling that it is not good news for me._

Not wanting to prolong it any further, I broke the seal and skimmed the letter past Father’s formalities and got to the point. What I read made my heart sink into my stomach.

_I’m...engaged? Father got me engaged—to Ingrid?!_

_”I have made the necessary arrangements with Margrave Galatea, and he is setting up his estate to prepare for the ceremony. Once the war is settled, you are to go straight to the Galatea estate and not home. There everything will be ready for your marriage to Lady Ingrid. I fully expect you to be there, Sylvain. The Crests of House Gautier and House Galatea will unite to—”_

I smashed the letter in my fist and snarled between clenched teeth. _Goddess damn you, Father! Can’t you think about anything but yourself and our family Crest for once in your damn life?!_

I knew that being engaged to Ingrid on the surface was not a horrible idea. We’d been longtime friends, and Margrave Galatea had previously been so desperate to get Ingrid married off that he had chosen _extremely_ unsuitable partners for her. I was a Lord and her friend. They probably thought they were doing us both a favor.

_But it isn’t a favor. I love Ingrid, but I don’t love her like that. And I really don’t think either of us would be happy together considering I can’t stand her bossiness, and **she** can’t stand my reputation! But this wording—Father has made it clear that the decision is final. He is not offering me the chance of marriage, he is TELLING me that marriage is going to happen! They—They’re not going to let us decline this arrangement!_

I snapped my teeth and looked skyward. _Well, Brother. You hated me and wanted everything I have. But I bet you all the gold in the world that had you had MY position you would fight tooth and nail against a forced marriage!_

My looked back down at the letter. I felt ill just looking at the parchment. This...This was so wrong! I did not want to marry Ingrid, I wanted to marry Mercedes! Here I was, trying to mentally prepare myself for a massive battle, while also trying to figure out the proper way to confess my feelings to Mercedes! I had been debating whether I should tell her before or after the battle, and had ultimately decided _after_ the battle because I didn’t want to suffer from a broken heart tomorrow if she _didn’t_ reciprocate my feelings! And if she did, I wanted to probably court her, gently introduce her into nobility life, shower her with charm and presents, and _then_ propose marriage to her!

_But fate is working against me. I hesitated in confessing my feelings for her because I wanted to take things slow, and the timing seemed grossly inappropriate with everything she has suffered. But now my parents and Ingrid’s parents have basically formulated a marriage certificate for us, and we’re expected to sign it! They’re not allowing me to decline! Damn it all, this is so unfair!_

I looked up and my drifted towards the Knight’s Hall. I let out a breath and it was shaky. _Oh. Right. Felix. Felix has always loved Ingrid, though he’d probably deny it until the day he died. And I know Ingrid has grown to love Felix. I’m going to be on shaky ground trying to convince my parents that I want to marry a woman who has a Crest but doesn’t have any noble ties—but if Felix claims Ingrid’s hand, then neither of our families can complain against another noble House! Especially if it’s the same noble House she was previously engaged to!_

I nodded with conviction even as I relaxed with relief, and took off running towards the Knight’s Hall.

* * *

_”I’m going to go find Ingrid, and break off this engagement with her. Then I’m going to go figure out a way to propose to Mercedes. And you had better tell Ingrid how you really feel. If you don’t, I’ll **never** forgive you.”_

I left the Knight’s Hall with my emotions feeling raw. I walked past the first pillar of the breezeway and paused. My hand formed a fist and I punched the pillar. “Damn it!”

I couldn’t believe that Felix was choosing _now_ of all times to be stubborn. I needed his help in breaking off this engagement and he didn’t care! He was about to lose the woman he loved to another man, and he wasn’t going to lift a finger to stop it!

_Well, **I’m** going to stop it. I feel horrible for Ingrid that Felix will not give in and just allow himself to fully love her, and allow her to fully love him. But I’m not going to be stuck in a marriage I don’t want for the rest of my life! I’m going to marry the person that I want to marry!_

I scoffed and shook my head before heading towards the Classrooms. I knew that’s where Ingrid had spent her time for the whole month so that was the best place to look. People were still running across the courtyard to line up for knighthood at the Cathedral, but I steered myself towards the Blue Lions Classroom. Ingrid’s pegasus Daphne was loitering around the courtyard in front of the Classrooms, so I knew she was inside the Blue Lions Classroom. As I turned to enter, I bumped into Dorothea Arnault and I immediately smiled upon seeing her. “Well hello D—”

”Ingrid’s in there,” she interrupted me with forced sweetness, gesturing into the classroom. 

“Ah, thank you.” I bowed respectfully to her and she rolled her eyes. Before she turned to leave though, she gave me a leveled look. “She told me. I...hope you both can get this settled.”

My smile relaxed into a more genuine one. “Thank you, Dorothea.”

“You’re welcome.” Then she turned to walk away.

I headed into the Classroom. Ingrid was sitting at her old desk and didn’t look up as I entered. I approached her cautiously, and saw that she was leaned over a letter in her hands. I slowly took a seat beside her on the bench. “Hello, Ingrid,” I said carefully.

”Hello, Sylvain.” With my arrival, she quickly squashed the letter between her fists. I watched her smashed the parchment into in a tiny, tiny ball before throwing it across the Classroom. Then she folded her hands on her old desk. She didn’t look at me.

I looked in the direction that she had thrown the letter for a long moment. During that moment neither of us spoke. Then I glanced towards her. “Well. That saves me the trouble of dumping you.”

Ingrid clenched her hands tightly together on her desk. “Sylvain, how can you joke at a time like this?!”

”I’m not joking,” I said defensively. “I came here to tell you that I had no intention of going through with this marriage. You mean a great deal to me Ingrid, but I cannot imagine myself marrying you. No offense,” I quickly added.

Ingrid finally looked at me then. She looked upset but she otherwise wasn’t furious. “I love my parents. But why do they not ever respect my feelings? To arrange our marriage behind our backs like this...and they’re trying to prevent us from refusing!”

”That’s the impression I got from my letter too, especially since my father wrote...” I pulled out my letter. “... _’I fully expect you to be there, Sylvain.’_ Yeah, my parents aren’t allowing me to refuse either.”

”Sylvain, how did it come to this?! We are adults and yet our lives are still dictated by our parents the same as they were when we were children! I am a _knight_ , damn it! Not a breeding mare that can be sold to a ready stud!”

”You’re a knight now?!” I exclaimed. I gave her a quick hug. “Congratulations!”

”Thank you,” Ingrid responded curtly. “But this news completely spoiled the joy of that! I...will not do this!”

”Neither will I,” I said with conviction. “I’m going to marry the woman I love, and my parents will have to live with that.”

” _You’re_ in love?!” Ingrid said incredulously, turning to face me on the bench. “You?! When did THAT happen?!”

I burst into laughter upon hearing that. “Oh man...Felix said that same thing earlier!”

Ingrid went still. “...You spoke to Felix?” She asked quietly.

”Yes, I did.”

”And...did you tell him about—” she didn’t finish the sentence.

”I did,” I told her unapologetically. “He didn’t say it in words, but I know he’s not happy about the fact that our parents are forcing marriage upon us.”

Ingrid shook her head and looked away. “I...” she pressed her mouth together into a thin line.

”Ingrid,” I said. “We’ve known Felix our entire lives. We know how much he’s...changed. He’s gotten better, but he’s not quite there yet.”

”Where are you going with this?” She asked me. She still wasn’t looking at me.

”All right, I’ll just come out and I say.” I sat up straighter. “Felix isn’t going to tell you that he loves you.”

Ingrid flinched, and I saw her face turn red. “Yes, he loves you. You don’t believe me, do you?” I asked her.

She shook her head. “I...not completely.”

“Look, you can take it from me and trust me when I say that Felix _does_ love you. And Felix doesn’t want us to get married. But—” I gestured with my hand. “But he’s not going to do anything about it. He’s so stubborn and stuck in his lone wolf persona, that as things stand right now he’d let us get married and then brood for the rest of his life! It’s going to take a _lot_ for him to give in to his feelings, and...” I shook my head. “You’re going to have to confess to him first.”

Ingrid turned darker red. I reached out and put a hand on her shoulder. Before I could speak though, Ingrid spoke. “She told me too.”

”Huh?”

”Dorothea. We talked, and...something seemed to be bothering her, but she listened to me. She told me that I would have to express my feelings first.”

”Oh, great minds think alike.” I stood up from the bench. “Well...despite the circumstances, I’m glad we’re in agreement at least. Are you going to go see Felix?”

Ingrid stood up as well and brushed her bangs out of her face. “I...I have to take Daphne back to the Stables first. Maybe I’ll even visit the Sauna so that I have a clear head before I...”

”That’s good,” I agreed with her. “Get yourself in a good mental place before going to talk to Felix. I won’t lie and say that it will be easy, but...” I swallowed hard. “It won’t be easy. Felix might even respond negatively to your confession no matter what he really feels. But trust me when I tell you that you need to talk to him and you need to do it today. We both need to settle our affairs before the final battle. After that, well...” I knew I didn’t need to finish.

Ingrid and turned to face me. She held out her hand to me. “I know I’ve given you grief, and I know you’ve deserved it, but thank you for being my friend.”

“Well I don’t think I’ve deserved it, but let’s agree to disagree.” I accepted her handshake. “Thank you for being _my_ friend, Ingrid.”

* * *

I spent hours getting ready for my proposal to Mercedes. I had amassed quite a number of gold fish, and I sold them all for a decent amount of gold to prepare for what I wanted to do.

I selected the Greenhouse for the place to do it, and the Head Gardener was more than happy to vacate for the rest of the day (though she threatened me that she would make me pay if I left the place a mess). I had the foresight to plant lavender last moon, and to my delight I had two dozen flowers. I remembered from her birthday years ago that Mercedes _loved_ lavender, and I carefully uprooted the flowers to move and replant them in the center of the north box.

The Dining Hall was _very_ busy as everyone wanted to get the new cake, and I had unfortunately not reserved any slices and did not want to get into the line that extended straight through the Dining Hall and into the Entrance Hall. I was able to request a pot of Crescent Moon Tea, which was Mercedes’s favorite tea, and as I waited I saw Cyril sitting at one of the tables eating cake. With a young lady no less!

With some pleading and prodding, I was able to convince Cyril to help me decorate the Greenhouse for Mercedes. Cyril however was not happy about it at first though, and kept reminding me that I had “interrupted his date” while we worked. His attitude cooled a little when I told him that this was for Mercedes (“For Mercie?”) and his date Famké was actually quite enthusiastic about helping us. I thought I recognized her as a former student, but I couldn’t remember which House she belonged to.

We set out a small round garden table with two garden chairs, and I ran to get the tea while Cyril and Famké hung up white wisteria vines around the trees. I set the tea on the table and ran to the back where the lavender flower bed was. I carefully laid a large stuffed teddy in the center of the flowers and hung a necklace of gemstone beads around his neck.

”Can I see the ring?” Famké asked me excitedly.

I stiffened violently. _...Oh._

”You don’t have a ring?!” Cyril asked incredulously as he fixed the table. “Isn’t a ring customary with a marriage proposal?”

I shook my head as I felt panic rise up within my quickly. “I...” I slapped a hand over my face. How foolish could I be to not have a RING for my proposal?! That was the most essential item to a proposal!

_Well, I wasn’t expecting to propose to her so soon. My parents forced my hand, unfortunately._

I looked towards the wisteria vines and stood up. “I have an idea.”

Once everything was ready, Cyril and Famké wished me good luck as I raced off to find Mercedes. I remembered seeing her outside the Dining Hall in the gardens with Annette earlier in the month and searched there first. To my relief I saw her in her usual spot with Annette, and she seemed to be in lively spirits as she chatted with Annette.

_Oh, thank Goddess. It’s better that she’s in a good mood._

Seeing Mercedes smiling instantly put me at ease, however I still hurried over to her. “Good evening, ladies!” I greeted them, though I was out of breath.

”Oh, hello Sylvain!” Mercedes greeted with her usual cheer. “Annie and I were just talking about that new cake. Would you like to join us?”

Annette looked alarmed. “Oh, but I only—”

I reached out and took Mercedes by the hand. “I need to talk you,” I told her. “In private. Can you please come with me?”

”Private? Is everything okay?”

”Please, Mercedes.” I squeezed her hand gently. “This is very important. It would mean the absolute world to me if you came with me right now.”

Mercedes stared at me for a long moment, her eyes filled with concern. I stared back at her with my heart hammering in my throat. _Please! I beg of you Mercedes, please grant me this mercy!_

”Of course I will go with you,” she responded, the smile returning to her face. I could’ve died from relief as she addressed Annette. “I’m sorry, Annie. I’ll see you later.”

”B-But what about the cake?” Annette exclaimed. She was looking at me with alarm.

”Take _him_ with you!” Mercedes responded positively, and Annette immediately blushed. I didn’t bother asking who she was referring to. I held onto her hand as I guided her through the Dining Hall and out facing the Fishing Grounds. We headed down the stairs towards the landing in front of the Greenhouse, and I saw that the doors to the Greenhouse were closed. As we drew closer I let Mercedes walk ahead of me. I moved behind her and carefully raised my hands to cover her eyes. She jumped ever so slightly in my arms before bursting into giggles. “Oh! Is this a surprise, Sylvain?”

”The best,” I responded, smiling as I was pleased by her positive reaction. I held my hands gently over her eyes as we moved forward towards the doors. I carefully steered her in the direction. “Raise your hands,” I told her gently. “When you feel the door, push it open.”

”O-Okay.” Mercedes complied, feeling for the doorknobs and quickly finding them. My heart was pounding once more as she pushed open the doors and we stepped inside. I guided her towards the table before bringing her to a stop. “That smells like Crescent Moon Tea!”

”Good observation.” I leaned forward and almost brushed my lips against her ear. I held myself back at the last second though. “At the count of three, I’ll remove my hands, okay? Are you ready?”

”Yes, I’m quite ready!”

”One...two...three!”

I removed my hands, and after a moment Mercedes cried out and pressed her hands over her mouth. Cyril, Famké, and I had added wisteria vines and other hanging flowers on the trees, and lavender-scented candles lined the grow boxes. And of course there was the flower bed I had relocated in the back. “Sylvain...this is for me? Y-You did all of this for _me_?!”

”Well, I can’t take all the credit,” I said, rubbing a hand on the back of my head. “Cyril and his new girlfriend helped me.”

Mercedes spun around and threw her arms around my shoulders. “Oh, this is absolutely beautiful! I cannot believe that you did all of this for me! Thank you so very much!”

”You’re very welcome,” I said, hugging her back. I wanted to hang onto her for a little while longer, but released her as she pulled away. I gestured to the table. “Would you like some tea?”

”Oh yes! But in a moment, I would love to look around!” 

“Take all the time that you need.” I took the time to pour each of us a cup of tea as Mercedes walked around the Greenhouse. She seemed mesmerized, and her eyes were shining and her face was glowing as she laughed with delight. It was the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen; I couldn’t look away from her even if I tried. I knew then that no matter how the evening would go, I would remember this moment and her reaction for the rest of my life.

Except...

”Oh, what is this?” Mercedes spotted the flower bed and quickly made her way towards it. I almost stopped her but clicked my mouth shut to prevent the words from escaping. Fear rose up in me quickly and my heart began to pound as I slowly followed her. _I...had hoped to relax with a cup of tea with her first before getting to this. Ah well. No use delaying the inevitable now._

”These lavender are beautiful,” Mercedes said as I approached her from behind. “And—oh, this is cute!” She picked up the stuff teddy in her arms. “I love these! I know just the spot for him. Although—after tomorrow, there won’t be any use for that spot in my room.” She appeared crestfallen for just a few seconds before shrugging. “I’ll just find another spot for him. And what a lovely necklace he’s wearing! And—oh. What is he holding? Oh, this is cute!”

I swallowed hard, my heartbeat still in my throat. Her back was still to me, but I saw her lift up the circular object that the teddy had been holding. It was a crude ring that Cyril had helped me create from a wisteria vine. Cyril somehow had known Mercedes’s ring size, however we still had to hazard a guess for the size as we tied it together.

It wasn’t a perfect ring, but it was the best ring I could offer her in the moment.

As I watched her, I suddenly blurted out, “I’ve been forced into a marriage.”

Mercedes stiffened violently. Slowly, she straightened into a standing position but didn’t turn around to face me. “...Is that so?” She asked. Her tone was surprisingly nonchalant.

”My parents,” I clarified. “Have forced me into a marriage with Ingrid. We both received letters today basically telling us that our wedding _was_ going to happen and that we just needed to show up. Neither of our parents are giving us the option to refuse.”

”I...see.” Her tone had become increasingly more quiet, and I saw her squeeze the teddy in her arms. “I’m so sorry to hear that your parents have put you in this position. You do not want to marry Ingrid, though?”

”I do not,” I confirmed. “And Ingrid doesn’t want to marry me. We both talked and we’ve decided that despite what our parents want we’re going to refuse to marry each other. We...both want to marry other people.”

I tried to keep my breathing under control as I sank down to both knees, kneeling in front of Mercedes as I watched her. She examined the vine-ring much closer now, and she was silent for a long time. When she spoke “Sylvain—” she turned around as she spoke, but when she saw me kneeling she gasped loudly and abruptly dropped the teddy. He thumped to the ground soundlessly. She pressed a hand to her mouth as she stared at me with wide eyes.

”I’m sorry,” I told her. It took every ounce of willpower to keep my voice steady. “I’m so sorry. I had wanted to do things differently for you, but I was unable to do so. All I can do is offer my best to you now. Or rather—I offer _myself_ to you.” I swallowed hard again and forced myself to look up at her in the eyes. “Not as a soldier. Not as a Lord. Just as a man in love.”

Mercedes gasped behind her hand, and tears filled her eyes. She slowly lowered her hand. “...Love?” She asked quietly.

The words...came easier to me than I expected. ”I love you, Mercedes.”

Mercedes let out a loud sob, and pressed a hand over her mouth again. Now she was fully crying. It was painful to see her cry, but she was standing her ground and not fleeing. She wasn’t rejecting me. I made the decision to follow through with the proposal. “You’re a wonderful, kind woman. You’ve never judged me for my reputation, and you’ve never condemned me for my behavior. Do you know how refreshing it is to have a conversation with someone where I’m not bracing myself for a lecture or insult? For a while, you were one of the only people I actually looked forward to talking to during the day. You make me _feel_ things that no one has ever made me feel before in my whole life. Being with you has forced me to take a long, hard look at the man I’ve become and I don’t like what I see. I want to be a better person.” My breath caught in my throat and I swallowed hard. “...You’re the only person I’ve ever talked to that makes me feel like I can be a better person.”

She was crying so hard now that her whole body was shaking. I wanted to stand up and embrace her and kiss away her tears, but I remained kneeling. “I’m unworthy of you. You’re too good for me. But I love you and I want to marry you. After we win tomorrow, I want to take you home with me and spend the rest of my life with you. I would be honored to be your husband, and the father of your children. A-And even if we never have children, I would be content just having you by my side always.” I held out a hand to her, and was embarrassed to see it trembling. I couldn’t steady it and I realized that tears stung my eyes. “If you would have me...I am yours.”

Mercedes launched herself at me, her hat flying off her head. She nearly tackled me onto my back but I held myself steady as she threw her arms around me and kissed me on the mouth. I...wasn’t expecting the kiss. She gave me no time to react before she broke the kiss and frantically pressed kisses all over my face. I was so shocked by her reaction that I remained kneeling there unresponsive. I couldn’t even feel elation at having finally kissed her!

”You love me! I can’t believe you love me! Oh, Sylvain!” She hugged me tight around the shoulders. “Oh...I have dreamed of this moment happening, but I never thought that it would happen!”

I stiffened in her arms, and a cold stab of shock shook my body. I grabbed her upper arms and gently pushed her away from me. “What did you say?” I asked her. I was so stunned that I couldn’t speak above a whisper.

Mercedes sniffled and wiped at her face. Tears were streaming down her cheeks, but—but she was _smiling_. “Don’t you see, Sylvain? I love you, too! I fell in love with you quite some time ago!”

Tears quickly stung my eyes and heart lurched in my chest. I pulled her close until our foreheads touched. I couldn’t believe what I just heard. “Y—You love me? You love _me_ , Mercedes?” The emotions overwhelmed me and the tears spilled down my cheeks. “Oh...please tell me that this is real! That I’m not dreaming! You really love me? _Me_?! Oh, this can’t be real! Someone like you couldn’t love someone like me!”

Mercedes gently pressed her hands against the back of my head to hold me close to her. “Please believe me, Sylvain. I love you. I love you with all my heart. I...I felt so awful about my feelings, because I fell in love with the man you showed me when you showed me the real you. B-But you were hurting so much and you _needed_ so much, and...I was so ashamed that my love grew for you from that! When you were hurting and so vulnerable, and...” she choked on a sob. “But I love you. I just can’t believe you love me!”

I stared at her through my tears before cupping her face in my hands. She knew what I was doing and tilted her head as I pulled her close and claimed her lips. Oh Goddess...to finally be able to kiss her. To feel her lips against mine after longing for it for so long made tears sting my eyes once more. I had kissed many women before, and I considered myself a _really_ good kisser, but I felt shy kissing her my mouth uncertainly. I felt terrible because she deserved the best of my skills. 

But—this was _Mercedes_. This was the woman I loved, not some random lover. Despite my uncertainty our lips moved slowly together. I could sense her inexperience in her movements and it warmed my heart and gave me the courage to kiss her more fully. Her lips parted slightly and I slipped my tongue inside to envelop her. “Mmm!” She shivered in my arms and my pride swelled at her response. _Yes, yes, this is much better._ I sucked on her tongue and dragged it into my mouth to encourage her, and she responded by becoming bolder and twining her tongue with mine as she opened her mouth fully to me.

We sat on the ground together, touching each other’s face as we continued to kiss. I felt the warmth of my body responding to her, but I also felt the warmth of my love for her in my heart. I didn’t want this moment to end, but I reluctantly broke the kiss. I didn’t completely lean away though and our foreheads touched against as we panted for breath. Mercedes’s expression was breathtaking—eyes half-lidded, lips swollen from our kisses, and a luminescent blush on her cheeks. I knew I had to look quite effected as well.

_If this is what kissing her feels like, I’ll never get enough._

“Don’t feel ashamed of your feelings,” I told her calmly. “I’m _thrilled_ that you fell in love with the man you saw behind my mask. It wasn’t a pretty sight I’m sure, but you saw the real me and you fell in love with that man. Not the womanizing charmer everyone knows me as.”

Mercedes shook her head. “Please don’t think so little of yourself, Sylvain. You’re a wonderful man—”

”Wonderful? Me? How am _I_ wonderful?”

”You’re a faithful and loyal friend, a dependable ally who takes exceptional care of the soldiers who serves under him, and when you show genuine kindness and sincerity it’s awe-inspiring.” She smiled at me. “And when you’re upset, you can effortlessly hide it as to not bother the people around you. Please don’t think of yourself so lowly.”

I stared at her, and I puffed out a shaky breath. “...This is why I love you,” I confessed quietly. “Nobody has ever spoken to me with such kindness and care before. Y—do you see why you inspire me to want to be a better person? I want to be the man that you see me as.”

”You already are,” she replied firmly.

I shook my head and laughed softly. The table caught my attention and I sighed dramatically. “The poor tea must be cold by now.”

”It’s quite all right. I appreciated the gesture anyway as...” she gestured to our surroundings. “You...did all of this to propose to me, did you not?”

I nodded and lifted up her left hand. I pressed soft but quick kisses from her fingertips down her knuckles. Her breath caught in her throat as I met her gaze. Mercedes was still flushed, but she smiled at me. I held out my hand to her and she gave me the vine-ring without a word. “I’m sorry,” I said quietly. “I did not have a ring to give you, but I will when the time is right.”

”I love it,” she told me breathlessly.

I held the ring over her ring finger but then hesitated. I looked back up at her. “Mercedes von Martritz. Will you marry me?”

She looked like she would cry again and quickly nodded. “O-Of course I will, Sylvain Jose Gautier!”

I slid the vine-ring on, and was stunned to see it slide onto her finger effortlessly. Mercedes examined the ring on her finger before pulling me back in for a hug. “I’ll treasure it forever!”

I laughed as she held me in her arms. “I’ll take you home once we’re done here. My parents will not be happy that I have defied them, but they will love you. Nobody can help _but_ love you.”

”I want you to meet my mother,” she told me. After a moment though she stiffened in my arms. “I...my adopted father, though. I-I’m sorry, he may try to use our engagement to his advantage. You are, after all, the type of noble he’s been pushing me to marry...”

”As far as he’s concerned, you’re engaged to another woman. He can be “happy” with that news, and if he tries anything else with you he’ll regret it.” I cupped her face again but I didn’t kiss her. “You’re my betrothed now and you’ll be my wife. It’s my duty to protect you.”

Mercedes smiled with relief at me. “Then...I will make it my duty to make you happy.” She leaned back in for another kiss.

_Ah...she’s getting bold. I’m liking this side of her. Oh Goddess, I’m so happy I think I might die! I never thought in my whole life I could ever feel this happy! I almost want to share this happiness with other people!_

A thought occurred to me then and I reluctantly broke her kiss. “I-Is everything okay?” She asked me with concern. 

I smiled at her and stroked her cheek reassuringly. “Everything is fine. But I remembered something, and I was wondering if you could help me...”

* * *

”So how should we do this?” I asked as we approached the breezeway between the Knight’s Hall and Central Building from the Stables. “Should we sit and talk with Felix? Or should we kidnap Ingrid and him and lock them in a room together until they get together?”

”The latter sounds rather drastic,” Mercedes said thoughtfully. She snuggled her teddy with her free arm. “But Felix may respond negatively to the former since you’ve talked with him already. They have that new cake in the Dining Hall—oh, but Felix doesn’t like cake.”

”I guess we could write them both letters and make them think the other wants to see them,” I said as we entered the corridor into the Knight’s Hall. I saw movement to the northwest against the doorframe. I was about to call out to the person when a sound reached me that caused me to stop in my tracks and reflexively blush.

It was a sound I was unfortunately quite familiar with. The sounds of deep, desperate kissing. Soft pants and a low groan. There was a couple ahead of us that was locked in a passionate embrace. I gripped Mercedes’s hand and started to discreetly back away, but Mercedes moved forward. “Is that F—” she then realized what’s was going on with the couple and stopped. After a moment she said quietly, “Oh. Oh, my goodness.”

To my shock, instead of moving away Mercedes started moving _closer_ to the couple! And since she held my hand, she pulled me with her. I quickly caught up with her and gently grabbed her arm. “W-W should probably leave them alone and look for Felix,” I whispered to her.

”What do you mean?” Mercedes whispered back in confusion. “Felix is over there.” She pointed to the couple.

”W—” I quickly looked back up and my jaw dropped as my body filled with shock. Yes—now that we were closer I could most definitely see that _Felix_ was one-half of the couple. Felix, the guy who just earlier that day told me that he didn’t see any point in confessing his feelings to Ingrid. Who had told me that he’d rather be a wandering swordsman. I was now witnessing him pinning Ingrid to the doorframe and they were kissing each other senseless. Lone wolf, _grumpy_ Felix was sucking on Ingrid’s mouth as though she were a well of fresh cool water and he was a man dying of thirst.

 _I guess this is what happens when you win the heart of the person you’ve pined for your entire life,_ I thought dryly. Judging from Ingrid’s trembling knees, she was thoroughly enjoying the kisses.

My mouth opened and closed soundlessly for a few moments. I looked at Mercedes, and despite her curiosity she was visibly blushing from the passion we were witnessing. “Perhaps...we should leave them alone?” I asked again quietly.

Mercedes slowly nodded, her eyes fixated on the sight before us. Her darkening blush made her cheeks glow and enhanced her beauty. “...Perhaps we should,” she quietly agreed.

But neither of us moved. Felix and Ingrid’s hands didn’t wander lower than their shoulders, but the intensity of their kiss was mounting instead of subsiding. They had yet to notice our presence. I looked over my shoulder, and I didn’t see anyone approach, but... “Anyone who walks by will see them. They’d probably be embarrassed if one of their soldiers happened to catch them.”

”Oh, yes,” Mercedes said positively. “That would be most embarrassing for them.”

I gave her a wicked smile and squeezed her hand. “Perhaps we should save them the embarrassment then?”

She smiled back at me. “That’s what good friends would do.”

I raised her hand and kissed her fingers. Her mischievous side was showing and I was loving every minute of it. 

Later, I was back in the Greenhouse cleaning up after my successful proposal. It gave me something to do; I had made a decision that since my parents decided to set up a marriage without consulting, then _I_ wouldn’t consult them about the fact that Ingrid and I cancelled the marriage!

That, and...when I was up in the Second Floor Dormitories I heard _peculiar_ noises coming from Lorenz’s room. This surprised me, considering the only person he usually entertained as a guest was Ferdinand, but he never entertained Ferdinand at night. I stood there in front of his door for a brief moment in confusion, but when when I thought I heard a _moan_ I immediately turned around and headed back for the stairs.

 _That sounded like—but **Lorenz**?! He’s not the type to just take some woman to bed! Who would go to bed with HIM anyways?! _I shuddered at the thought.

I heard footsteps enter the Greenhouse behind me, and the beautiful laughter immediately brought a smile to my face. “F...Felix was so angry!” Mercedes held a hand in front of her face as she laughed breathlessly. “D-Did you see the way his face became all puffy and grumpy, Sylvain? He was trying to stop me from putting lipstick on Ingrid, but his face—it was so adorable!”

I laughed along with her and moved to stand in front of her. “I’m definitely on board with a double wedding, if it means I can watch you tease Felix all day. Hey, I’ll do it too! We can be partners in crime about it!”

Mercedes wiped away tears as she brought herself under control. “Oh, but that wouldn’t be fair to Ingrid...”

”Then let’s tease her too to make it even!”

Mercedes laughed again and slid her arms around my shoulders. “You’re wonderful, Sylvain...”

I don’t know why she thought _I_ was wonderful, but she kissed me before I could answer her. I was already getting used to kissing her, and it wasn’t enough. I ignored the way my body tightened under her kiss and slid my arms around her waist to pull her close. _Not now...that can wait until much later. For now, her kisses are enough for me. Oh Goddess, how did I get so lucky to finally have Mercedes in my arms? I never want to let her go..._

I saw frantic movement behind Mercedes beyond the doors of the Greenhouse and broke the kiss. _Wait...was this His Highness?!_

”Are you okay?” Mercedes asked, cupping my face with her hand.

I smiled down at her. “As well as I can be since I’m living the best day of my life.”

She smiled back at me. “As am I.”

”I love you.” I pulled her back in for another kiss. As our lips met, she whispered back words that filled my with joy.

”I love you, too.”

**Author's Note:**

> You can probably imagine why Sylvain named his horse Pan in my story, lol.
> 
> Also, Cyril’s girlfriend in this story is the student from the Special Delivery Quest Pre-Timeskip. I gave her the name Famké because I thought it suited her.


End file.
